ADN 592: Experimental Art and Design
I am in a fall 2018 seminar as part of my graduate studies. Here, I will post my essays and projects from this class for documentation of my research.
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YouTube as a medium shifted the message of listening to music within the last decade. I am looking at this from an American consumer’s point of view, with “the literary bias of the West for the printed form, on the ground that it is more impersonal” (McLuhan p.42-43). This personal feeling of auditory media means that no one questioned their right to free music, as it seemed natural. This has created some tension in YouTube’s recent decision to monetize, as we take for granted that music is free.
Short-term impacts include the rise of applications like Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora. These apps use a similar “freemium” model as YouTube, where you can choose between ads or paying for the service. Although there is annoyance over these options, it is not enough to significantly affect their rate of consumption. This accessibility results in the long-term impact of music ownership being seen as less necessary. Another long-term impact of this “electric technology… [resulted in] a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the degree that this is so, it is a development that suggests a desperate and suicidal autoamputation” (McLuhan p.53). Music allows people to step out of pre-existing boundaries, butthis is an overwhelming new world of music shared globally.McLuhan probably never imagined the comments section of YouTube, where you can interact with people half a world away who are listening to the same song. This is a beautiful example of connections that might not otherwise exist, but also very vulnerable when people on the internet are unkind, resulting in a newneed to protect yourself. Artists are also greatly affected by music no longer being as profitable – or at least, not in the same way it used to be. After all, “media, or the extensions of man, are ‘make happen’ agents, but not ‘make aware’ agents” (McLuhan p.59).YouTube has given consumers that ability to virtually entirely avoid paying for music, but the consequences for artists were not considered, especially not by the consumers.We are numb to our impact on the industry, as it does not directly affect us. All we see is free music. |
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Module Essay Due: In a 1000-word essay, choose 1 specific idea from Dewey and 1 from Gotschall that you think could be of benefit for you in your work moving forward. Summarize the idea(s), how they are related and why they are compelling. Use your visual essay and experience as examples of the ideas that you've chosen (either as evidence of their presence or absences.) Think about what might have made the experience better and how technology may have played a richer role.